"That is torture," Kovach said at one such protest, referring to man charged with abusing a dog.

One of the group's earliest backers was Patricia Cole.

"They did really well in the beginning, and then I started noticing some things and hearing some things they were doing, and I just didn't agree with it," Cole said.

Her concerns came to a head one day last summer when she went to feed the dogs at O & P's home.

"Upon entering the house the smell was just overwhelming. Dogs in cages, mind you it was 90 degrees this day," Cole said.

Cole went to the authorities, who investigated but filed no charges. But then she said Kovach started harassing her on Facebook and Craigslist.

"A sex ad on Craigslist with my phone number -- pretty disturbing. That's when I went down and filled out a report," Cole said.

Last month, after hearing from Cole and a police officer, a judge convicted Kovach of harassment.

But records reveal a lot more on Kovach and his partner at O & P, William Ura.

Kovach has been convicted of theft, corruption of minors, conspiracy to sell drugs, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass. He's also been convicted of running an illegal kennel and failing to vaccinate dogs.

He is currently facing charges of assault, selling or trying to sell drugs, and illegally selling and transporting dogs.

Ura has been convicted of forgery, drug possession, disorderly conduct and retail theft. He is currently facing drug possession charges.

Van Osdol: "So people who support you know that you were convicted of stealing computers from a high school a few years ago?"

Kovach: "If they, I don't put it out there."

Marlene Supernovich did not know about any of that when she started helping O & P. She created brochures, helped raise money and gave the rescue owners access to a store account that they used to buy trinkets like a flashlight inscribed with the rescue name.

Van Osdol: "When you found out some of the things they'd been in trouble for in the past what did you make of that?"

Supernovich: "I was shocked. If they only knew that they had this kind of history, a lot of my friends wouldn't have helped them."

In September, the state ordered O & P, Kovach and Ura to "cease and desist" from raising money in Pennsylvania because they were not a registered charity.

But a month later they still had a collection box at a convenience store in Liberty Borough.

And their Facebook page still had a link to a site raising money for a new shelter O & P was planning on Brighton Avenue in Pittsburgh.